Bartolomeo d'Alviano

Bartolomeo d'Alviano (1455-7 October 1515) was an Italian condotierro who fought in the Italian Wars for the armies of both the Republic of Venice and the Italian States.

Biography
Bartolomeo d'Alviano was born in Alviano, a town in the Papal States territory. A son of a noble family, he sold his skills with his sword "Bianca" to the highest bidder. While he was serving Venice in 1486 (headquartered in the Castello District of the city), Silvio Barbarigo's thugs attacked and took him to the district north of there. Many of his mercenaries were killed or captured, and Bartolomeo was held in a cage, but he was rescued by Ezio Auditore da Firenze, who was a member of the Assassins. Bartolomeo agreed to help him in his quest to fight and kill Barbarigo and his servant Dante Moro, but as Bartolomeo readied his men for battle, he had Ezio free the prisoners taken in the previous battle.

Afterwards, Bartolomeo had his mercenaries escorted to many locations by Ezio so that the men guarding the armory would leave to disperse them, giving Ezio the perfect chance to kill Silvio and Dante. He succeeded, and in 1488 he helped Ezio take the Piece of Eden from Rodrigo Borgia, who was the Knights Templar Grand Master and a key member of the Catholic Church.

In 1496 D'Alviano went to serve the House of Orsini, defending three fortresses from Cesare Borgia until Carlo Orsini arrived, wounding Cesare in the face. In 1500, while the Assassins were liberating Rome from the Borgia, Bartolomeo fought the Papal States to the south and Octavian de Valois' French army to the north, and was at war for three years. In 1503 he was the victor of the Battle of Garigliano against the French while under Fernando II of Aragon's service. In 1508 he defeated the Imperial Army of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor in Cadore, at Mauria and Pontebba, conquering Gorizia and Trieste. In the same year, Pordenone also fell, and the Serenissima assigned its seignory to Bartolomeo himself.

Five years later D'Alviano found himself fighting for the French and Venetians, his two old enemies, and was defeated by Ramon de Cardona, the Spanish Viceroy of Naples, at the Battle of Vicenza. He redeemed himself with a gallant charge of 300 knights at the Battle of Marignano while fighting for Francis I of France, and he died while besieging Gheti.